Special Beam Cannon
& or & or & or & or & or & |similar='Finger Beam Kankousen Finger Galick Gun Double Death Beam' |variations='Full-Nelson Special Beam Cannon' }} Special Beam Cannon (魔貫光殺砲, Makankōsappō; lit. "Demonic Piercing Light Murdering Gun") is an energy wave technique in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, and is Piccolo's signature attack. It made its debut in "Piccolo's Plan", the 4th episode of Dragon Ball Z, which premiered on May 17, 1989. The technique is a very powerful laser beam created by Piccolo in order to destroy his then-arch-enemy, Goku. Overview The move is performed by touching the index and middle fingers of one hand to the forehead and charging enough energy to attack. Its speed changes to the power level of the person performing the move. When ready, the fingers are extended forward, the attacker shouts the name of the attack and two thin ki beams are unleashed from the fingers. One remains straight while the other coils around the straight beam. The resulting beam is quite powerful, drilling through most targets, and exploding on the ones it can't. It can also be used with only one arm (as when Piccolo used it for the first time). The main disadvantage of the attack is the time required to build up enough energy for the focused burst, however, with enough concentration, this can be bypassed. It is the first technique in the series to be referred to as being the speed of light, as Piccolo reasoned that Raditz had to be "faster than the speed of light" to evade it. Usage Piccolo first used the Special Beam Cannon in the battle against Raditz. The first time it is used, Raditz dodges and is only singed by it. The second time is a direct hit, killing both him and Goku in one shot. During his training with Piccolo, Gohan transforms into a Great Ape, so Piccolo uses the Special Beam Cannon to destroy the spaceship Goku used to come to Earth, which was projecting the image of the moon in the sky that caused the transformation.Dragon Ball Z episode 18, "The End of Snake Way" During the battle with Nappa, Piccolo used a blast with a similar appearance, though he fired it differently (both hands fully outstretched) and did not have to charge it up. He uses this same move while training with Gohan, only it is blue in color. Piccolo also uses it in the battle with Turles with little effect. The only other time he used it fatally is on Salza, Cooler's top henchman, in movie Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge. He also used it to save Gohan from Bojack's energy ball in Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound. Then Piccolo trains with several copies of himself in the episode "The Heavens Tremble" all of the copies fire a Special Beam Cannon at the original Piccolo, only to have it blown away. In the anime, Piccolo uses it additional times when battling Garlic Jr. and as a mental projection created inside Super Buu's mind. The Special Beam Cannon is used frequently in the anime by a number of heroes and villains alike. In Dragon Ball GT, Piccolo used it on a Baby infected Gohan to no avail. Piccolo also uses it in Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!. Gohan also uses a very similar move while practicing with Krillin (in a mental battle) on the way to Namek, as if firing only the spiral around the beam, not the beam it self.Dragon Ball Z episode 39, "Friends or Foes?" Additionally, it is used by Cell against Piccolo in their first battle but the blast is deflected by Piccolo. Cell in his Perfect form uses this too while in Multi-Form against Goku which Goku evaded and against Gohan aswell only to have it deflected. The Cell Juniors, also use it against Gohan, but to no avail, and later by Super Buu after he absorbs Piccolo and Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks. In the non-manga uses of this move, the charging time is much shorter, though the resulting blast is seemingly less powerful. Appearances in Video Games Piccolo uses the technique in all the video games he is playable, like the ''Gokuden'' series, Dragon Ball Z Arcade, the ''Butōden'' series, Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle, Dragon Ball Z: The Legend, the ''Budokai'' series, Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu, Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, and the ''Budokai Tenkaichi'' series. The Special Beam Cannon's color is green in Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzōningen, Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku and the ''Supersonic Warriors'' series, and it is colored purple in the Budokai series, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, and Super Dragon Ball Z. Piccolo and Super Saiyan 2 Teen Gohan can use a team attack version of the Special Beam Cannon in Supersonic Warriors 2. In Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2, Cell Jr. can use the attack, and his version is colored blue. In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, this move is used by Future Gohan while in his Super Saiyan form. Warrior-type Namekians can use the Special Beam Cannon in Dragon Ball Online. In Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi, it can be obtained as one the Standard Hero's customizible Super Attacks and can be equipped use in either the Standard Hero's normal or Super Saiyan form. Character meaning * 魔 (Ma) = Demon / evil / devil * 貫 (Kan) = Penetrate / pierce * 光 (Kō) = Light / ray / beam * 殺 (Satsu/Sa-) = Kill * 砲 (Hō/Pō) = Cannon / gun Trivia *During the battle against Raditz (Dragon Ball Z Kai version), in a flashback where Piccolo fires the Special Beam Cannon, instead of yelling "Special Beam Cannon!" like in the actual fight in the previous episode, he yells "Makankosappo!", the Japanese name of this technique. References Category:Techniques Category:Offensive techniques Category:Beam Attacks Category:Canon Category:Energy Beam Category:Energy Attacks